Cricket SA bowls out Nyoka

Mtutuzeli Nyoka, the president of Cricket South Africa (CSA), was ousted by the federation’s Members’ Forum at a special meeting held in Johannesburg today.

Nyoka declined to attend the meeting on the advice of his lawyers, citing short notice as the excuse, but his absence could not prevent an overwhelming majority of the affiliate presidents supporting a motion of no confidence in him.

With immediate effect, Nyoka’s position has been terminated and the forum resolved to request AK Khan, the current vice-president of CSA, to act as president until the election of a new president at the annual general meeting in August 2011.

Khan said the Forum had lost confidence in Nyoka for a number of reasons, over time, but declined to go into detail.

“There are a number of reasons that have been debated intensely over a number of weeks and months now, and I think we’ve passed that stage,” said Khan when he addressed the media after the meeting.

He also would not reveal how many of the 11 members voted for or against the motion of no confidence in Nyoka.

“I wouldn’t tell you, but it was an overwhelming majority. The Members’ Forum said I shouldn’t reveal the details.”

The Members’ Forum consists of the 11 affiliate presidents from the provinces, who have the voting rights and actually appoint the board, plus the president, vice-president, treasurer and chief executive, as well as three black representatives.

Nyoka’s downfall began when he and CSA’s chief executive, Gerald Majola, were involved in a public dispute around bonuses paid to Majola and other CSA employees after the hosting of the 2009 Indian Premier League and ICC Champion Trophy tournaments.

When it emerged that the bonuses, worth a combined R4.7 million, were paid without being cleared by CSA’s remunerations committee, Nyoka requested an external investigation.

CSA opted instead for an internal review, which cleared Majola and the other beneficiaries of any wrongdoing.

Nyoka and Majola have been at loggerheads since Khan, who headed the review committee, announced their findings in November last year.

A heavyweight delegation from government met with the Members’ Forum before the special meeting took place.

Sports minister Fikile Mbalula, accompanied by deputy minister Gert Oosthuizen, the department’s director-general, Vernie Petersen, and the minister’s special adviser, Max Fuzani, spoke to the media after his meeting with CSA executives and rejected criticism that he was side-stepping the issue. He said he had listened to Nyoka’s grievances, so it was only fair to hear the other side.

“We will not fold arms when something is in the public domain,” said Mbalula.

“When we have reviewed the outcome of the Members’ Forum meeting today, we will issue a comprehensive reaction to the events.

“We will not move at a pace that others believe we should be moving. We will make our position clear when we have received a full report from CSA.”

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